Field
The present disclosure relates to an agricultural machine and a carrier assembly for an operating unit of an agricultural machine. In an embodiment, the disclosure relates to an agricultural mowing machine and a carrier assembly for a cutter unit of an agricultural mowing machine.
Certain Related Art
A known type of agricultural mowing machine that may be used for harvesting hay, straw and similar crops has a cutter unit comprising a plurality of rotary cutter heads attached to a cutter bar. The cutter heads rotate about vertical axes and are provided with cutter blades that cut the crop. The rotary cutter heads may be of the disc-type or drum-type. The mowing machine may be a conditioning mowing machine that includes a plurality of flails for conditioning the cut crop, or a plain mowing machine that has no conditioning unit.
The operating unit may be carried by a carrier vehicle, for example a tractor. In the case of an agricultural mowing machine cutter units may be mounted on one or both sides of a tractor or other agricultural carrier vehicle, each cutter unit being carried by a carrier assembly that includes a carrier arm and is attached to the rear of the tractor. The carrier assembly may include a pivot mechanism that allows the position of the carrier arm to be adjusted. The carrier arm may for example be located in a cutting position in which the cutter unit is positioned close to the ground to cut the crop, or a transport position in which the cutter unit is lifted behind the cab of the tractor, allowing the tractor to travel along a road. The carrier arm or the cutter unit may also be raised to a headland position in which the cutter unit is lifted a small distance above the cutting position, allowing the tractor to turn when it reaches the headland.
Other types of agricultural machine including rakes, tedders, seeding machines and soil working machines may be mounted in a similar manner with an operating unit (a rake, tedder, seeding machine or soil working machine) mounted on one or both sides of a tractor and carried by a carrier assembly that includes a carrier arm and is attached to the rear of the tractor. Again, the carrier assembly may include a pivot mechanism that allows the position of the carrier arm to be adjusted. The carrier arm may be located in an operating position in which the operating unit is positioned close to the ground or a transport position in which the operating unit is lifted behind the cab of the tractor, allowing the tractor to travel along a road. The carrier arm or the operating unit may also be raised to a headland position in which the operating unit is lifted a small distance above the operating position, allowing the tractor to turn when it reaches the headland.
A mowing machine of the general type described above is disclosed in DE 29614199U1. A cutter unit is suspended from the end of a carrier arm through a pivot joint, which is located centrally between the ends of the cutter unit. The pivot joint has a pivot axis that extends parallel to the working direction of the mowing machine and the cutter unit can rotate about this axis during use, allowing it to follow the contours of the ground. The carrier arm can be lifted from the cutting position to a travelling position in which the cutter unit is carried behind the tractor.
EP 0945051B1 describes another mowing machine in which the cutter unit is suspended from the carrier arm by a swivel joint at the center of the cutter unit. The swivel joint is configured to allow rotation of the cutter head about a first pivot axis that extends parallel to the working direction of the mowing machine. The swivel joint also allows rotation of the cutter head about a second axis that is perpendicular to the first axis: the second axis may for example be a substantially vertical axis.